
Air India Turns Black On Social Media After Horrifying Ahmedabad Plane Crash Tragedy
Last Updated:
Air India AI-171 crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport in India. The flight, carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew members, was bound to London's Gatwick.
Bone-chilling visuals of Air India AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 souls crashing moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport went viral on social media on Thursday. A video of the aircraft failing to stay airborne as it reached its maximum altitude of 625 feet before crashing down also surfaced. The twin-engine, wide-body jet crashed directly into BJ Medical College UG hostel mess in Meghani Nagar, it was later learned. The aircraft burst into a giant fireball upon initial impact and thick plumes bellowed from the crash site.
There were 232 passengers and 10 crew members on board the flight, including 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian passenger.
Air India, in an official statement, stated that the survivors were taken to the nearby hospitals as firefighters, emergency respond team, carrier officials reached the site to douse the flames and the carry out the search and rescue swiftly.
What a tragic day for aviation. 200+ people 🥹Prayers for all…Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner #AirIndia pic.twitter.com/E1ulGsYfNL
— Capt. JAMiL👨🏾✈️ (SkyDanfoDriver) 🛫 (@CaptJamyl) June 12, 2025
Air India Statement
Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off.
The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.
The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.
We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.
Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.
Air India will release further information via regular updates on its X handle (https://x.com/airindia) and on http://airindia.com.
Note to Editors: Air India requests media persons not to call the dedicated passenger hotline number.
Air India Goes Black
Mourning the death (numbers unconfirmed at the time of writing this) of the passengers on its fateful flight, Air India changed its display picture across social media platforms to black, painting a poignant picture to show solidarity towards the perished souls and their families and loved ones.
(Air India / X)
(Air India / Instagram)
⚡ As per initial reports the Air India plane crashed directly on the BJ Medical College UG hostel mess in Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad. More details awaited pic.twitter.com/duJTCL1YTn — OSINT Updates (@OsintUpdates) June 12, 2025
IndiGo Extends Solidarity
'We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident near Ahmedabad airport. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, and their families. We stand united in spirit with Air India in this very difficult time," the low-cost Indian airline wrote on 'X'.
News18's viral page features trending stories, videos, and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
Air India
Location :
Gujarat, India, India
First Published:
June 12, 2025, 16:17 IST
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
18 minutes ago
- NDTV
12 Hours, 5 Flight Incidents: Aviation Safety Under Scrutiny
After the Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 crash left 274 people dead in Ahmedabad last Thursday, five separate flights of various airlines and countries were forced to make emergency landings or return mid-air due to technical faults, bomb threats, or onboard scares. All in the last 12 hours. Air India Flight From Hong Kong To Delhi Diverts On Monday morning, Air India Flight AI-315 en route from Hong Kong to Delhi made a mid-air U-turn approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after takeoff. Pilots reported a suspected technical glitch. The aircraft landed safely, with no injuries, and has since undergone precautionary inspections. Air Arabia Flight Halted At Jaipur Airport An Air Arabia flight bound for Sharjah was delayed for hours on Monday after a technical fault was detected during taxiing at Jaipur Airport. Flight G9-436, scheduled for a 4.45 am departure, was brought back to the apron as a precaution. Technical teams carried out detailed inspections, reportedly over security concerns. The issue was resolved after several hours, and the flight later took off. Lufthansa Flight To Hyderabad Returns A Lufthansa flight (LH752) from Frankfurt to Hyderabad made a U-turn on Sunday after a bomb threat surfaced two hours into the journey. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landed safely in Frankfurt around 5.30 pm. While sources cited a bomb scare, Lufthansa claimed the flight was diverted due to a lack of landing clearance from Hyderabad. Passengers were given hotel accommodation and rebooked for Monday morning. Saudi Airlines Hajj Flight Sees Smoke In Lucknow A Saudi Airlines flight carrying approximately 250 Hajj pilgrims from Jeddah to Lucknow saw smoke and sparks in its left wheel shortly after touchdown. The crew immediately stopped the aircraft and investigation revealed a minor hydraulic leak, with no injuries reported. British Airways Dreamliner Returns To London A Chennai-bound British Airways flight (BA35) was forced to return to London mid-air on Sunday due to a technical issue. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which took off from Heathrow at 1.16 pm, remained airborne for nearly two hours before safely landing back. British Airways called it a "standard precaution" and confirmed that all passengers and crew disembarked safely.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
26 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Air India flight to Ranchi diverted back to Delhi over tech glitch
An Air India flight from Delhi to Ranchi was forced to return to the national capital shortly after takeoff on Monday due to a technical issue An Air India flight from Delhi to Ranchi was forced to return to the national capital shortly after takeoff on Monday due to a technical issue, NDTV reported. The flight — AI 9695 — from Delhi to Ranchi was scheduled to land at Birsa Munda Airport at 6.20 pm on Monday. It took off from Delhi airport at 4.25 pm. However, due to technical reasons, it was diverted back to the national capital. "One of our flights returned to Delhi after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue. Post inspections and clearance, the aircraft continued scheduled operations," Air India Express spokesperson said, as quoted by ANI. It comes hours after Air India's flight AI 315 from Hong Kong to Delhi was forced to turn back mid-air due to a technical snag. The aircraft returned to Hong Kong International Airport about 90 minutes after take-off, as the pilots opted not to continue the journey following the detection of a fault onboard. The latest incident also follows a deadly crash on June 12 involving Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The aircraft, which had departed from Ahmedabad for London, crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after take-off. The tragedy claimed the lives of 241 out of 242 passengers and crew members, along with 38 people on the ground. A lone survivor, a British passenger seated in 11A, was pulled from the wreckage. This marked the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 since the model began commercial operations in 2011.


Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
36 seconds to disaster for Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Mayday' call from black box may reveal why AI171 crashed
Indian investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of Air India flight AI171 , days after the London-bound plane crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, killing at least 279 people. The second black box was found on Sunday, three days after the crash. The first, containing the flight data recorder, was located within 28 hours of the disaster. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner lost thrust just 36 seconds after departure and plunged into residential buildings on the airport's periphery, leaving widespread devastation. Most victims were passengers; 33 others died on the ground. Only one person survived: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national. 'Mayday, mayday… no power': voice data to confirm pilot's final call The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) now in investigators' hands will provide crucial audio from the final moments of the flight. It records what the captain and first officer said to each other and to air traffic control, including ambient cockpit noise such as alarms and engine sounds. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. The Civil Aviation Ministry earlier confirmed a distress message was sent seconds before the crash. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal is believed to have said: 'Mayday, mayday…' with reports suggesting he also added '… no power… no thrust…'. That phrase, if confirmed, could shift focus squarely onto the aircraft's twin engines. A range of theories have already emerged – from electrical failure to a dual bird strike – but investigators say they're not speculating until CVR and flight data are analysed. Live Events Final seconds under the microscope AI171 took off at 1.39pm local time. Thirty-six seconds later, it was down. Authorities now hope the CVR will help pinpoint the exact millisecond the mayday call was made. This, combined with flight parameters from the first black box, will help them reconstruct the plane's climb and rapid descent, second by second. The critical questions remain: was the mechanical failure already present before take-off? Did the pilots detect anything during taxi or rotation? Or did the issue emerge after the plane was airborne, catching the crew off guard? Investigators are also reviewing communications with Ahmedabad ATC. These conversations, recorded in the CVR, will help assess how much time the pilots had and whether air traffic control was alerted soon enough to assist. Grief and delays for victims' families As of Monday, relatives of the victims were still awaiting DNA results to identify remains. Only 80 of the deceased had been formally identified by Sunday, according to Dr Rajnish Patel at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. 'This is a meticulous and slow process, so it has to be done meticulously only,' said Patel. Rinal Christian, 23, whose elder brother died in the crash, expressed frustration: 'They said it would take 48 hours. But it's been four days and we haven't received any response. My brother was the sole breadwinner of the family. So what happens next?' he told AFP. In some cases, officials have advised families not to open the coffins. One coffin was draped with the Indian flag and carried through Ahmedabad by soldiers. The deceased was a former chief minister of Gujarat and a senior member of the ruling party. International response and airline under scrutiny The crash was the first involving a Boeing 787. Though Air India was told to conduct additional checks across its fleet of 33 Dreamliners, over 1,000 of the aircraft remain in active service globally. Air India, now owned by Tata Group, is facing increased scrutiny. The airline has been trying to modernise an ageing fleet and improve safety. N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, addressed nearly 700 staff at Air India's Delhi headquarters on Monday. He called the crash 'the most heartbreaking crisis of [his] career', and added: 'We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline.' 'We need to wait for the investigation… It's a complex machine, so a lot of redundancies, checks and balances, certifications, which have been perfected over years and years. Yet this happens, so we will figure out why it happens after the investigation.' Fresh scare prompts precautionary landing On Monday, an Air India 787 flying from Hong Kong to New Delhi turned back shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical fault. Flight AI315 landed safely in Hong Kong at 1.15pm local time. It was undergoing checks at the time of this report, according to a source who spoke to Reuters. Meanwhile, Boeing has scaled back its presence at the Paris Air Show. CEO Kelly Ortberg cancelled his visit, and the company called off a media reception. A team from Boeing has been sent to Ahmedabad to support the ongoing investigation. With both black boxes recovered, investigators from India, the UK and the US now face the painstaking task of analysing thousands of data points and audio cues. Their work could take weeks. But families are desperate for answers. And a nation – shaken by one of the deadliest aviation disasters in its history – is watching, and waiting.